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Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn arrives at the East Room of the White House in Washington for a joint news conference with President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. | AP Photo

Flynn’s son: 'Disinformation campaign' caused ouster

Michael Flynn’s son, who was fired from Donald Trump’s transition for spreading conspiracy theories on social media, said Tuesday that a “disinformation campaign” was responsible for his father’s ouster as national security adviser.

“The disinformation campaign against my father won #AmericaFirst #USA #Flynn #FlynnResignation,” Michael Flynn Jr., who formerly served as a top adviser to his father, wrote on Twitter. He later deleted the tweet.

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Flynn resigned as national security adviser on Monday night as controversy continued to swirl around conversations he had during the transition with the Russian ambassador to the United States. Flynn discussed sanctions the U.S. imposed in retaliation for Russian interference in the election, then repeatedly denied having done so. Vice President Mike Pence was among those who Flynn denied the accusations to, and Pence repeated the false claim on television.

The White House has not denied the reports about Flynn’s conversations, and Flynn himself acknowledged providing “incomplete information” to the Vice President in his resignation letter, making it unclear what “disinformation” Flynn Jr. is referring to. Kellyanne Conway, a top adviser to Trump, said Tuesday morning that Flynn’s misleading of Pence was the “key” to his fall.

This may not have been the first time Flynn misled Pence. Pence stated in a television interview during the transition that Flynn’s son had not been given a security clearance by the transition, even though he had been granted a clearance. The New York Times reported that Flynn had told Pence’s team his son had not been given a clearance.

Flynn Jr. has an outsize presence on Twitter, where he frequently voices support for Trump and spread debunked conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton. As the White House recently pushed back against suggestions that its travel ban was in fact targeted at Muslims, the younger Flynn took to Twitter to celebrate what he called a “Muslim ban,” deeming it “necessary.”

After POLITICO wrote about that incident, Flynn Jr. appeared to delete his Twitter account. But it came alive again Tuesday morning. He pinned the “disinformation” tweet to the top of his page, ensuring any visitors to his account will see it.